A Year To Remember
by Iwin Ulose
Summary: AU, a high school fic. Luffy is moving to Loguetown, a large port town infamous for its gang activity. Not only that, he will have to deal with new kids at a new school, not to mention his family. How will he fare?
1. A New Home

**_A Year To Remember_  
**

**Okay, I'm really sorry for those who have been wanting me to update The Conqueror! However, I've been wanting to write this high school fic for a very very long time now. It's no joke, I've been wanting to write this ever since before The Conqueror was ever even conceived of.** **Lol. So yeah, I hope you all enjoy this little story! Drama is the secondary genre since high school is _full_ of "drama". Lol. Anyway, I will eventually get back to my other fic, but I really, _really_ want to start this one. So let's go:D  
**

_Disclaimer : I might own your soul, but I SURE as hell don't own One Piece or anything related to it.  
_

Chapter One – A New Home

The wind blew in a sort of nonchalant way. It beckoned people to come out of their comfortable houses, tempting them with a nice relief from the sun. The bright blue sky worked together with the light wind to make it the perfect summer's day. No one could complain about theses conditions. There was, however, an exception. A certain 16-year-old boy was looking up into that endless sky of beauty, dotted here and there by the occasional white, fluffy cloud. The breeze that ruffled his messy black hair was almost insulting to him. "Why... couldn't it have rained today?" he muttered to himself with displeasure.

A tall, red-haired man walked past him with heavy boxes loaded in his arms. "Luffy, what is _wrong_ with you today?" he asked with annoyance as he walked past, giving him a disapproving glance.

"The weather is too nice," was Luffy's pouty reply.

"Seriously, honey, your mood is rather odd," added a lady with dark green hair as she, too, walked by with boxes in her arms. "And can you please help us here? We've got a lot of boxes left, you know."

Luffy sighed for the millionth time that day and watched his parents walk to the moving truck. His grandpa had just placed a sofa he was carrying by himself inside the truck. He walked up to Luffy and before the youth could do anything, he was hoisted up by the back of his red vest. Luffy yelled in protest. "Let me go, you old man!"

His grandfather merely growled. "You'll help whether you like it or not. Got that, boy?" He walked briskly back to the modest house set on a small plot of land. This was Luffy's house... well, not anymore. Today, he and his family were moving close into a port town very far away from their current home. "Grandpa, I don't _want_ to leave Fuschia Town!" he protested. "I grew up here, I'm not leaving!"

The elderly man gave a short bark of a laugh. "I don't care what you want, Luffy m'boy! Now why don't you be a good boy and be a bit helpful, huh? Act more like your brother for once." "I don't care if Ace likes to help, I don't wanna!" Luffy whined like a small child. His grandfather literally threw him up the stairs without effort. "Luffy, get the crap from your room and bring it all to the truck!"

After a few hours of hard work in the bright summer sun, the job was finally done. The large truck was totally full. Luffy and his family thanked the neighbors who helped them. Shortly after, Luffy climbed into the passenger side of the moving truck. His father got into the driver's side. The silence between them was somewhat uncomfortable as the truck rumbled down the roads that would eventually lead them to their new home. Luffy stared resolutely out the windshield at the car in front of them that he knew contained his mother and brother. Further ahead in another car was his grandfather. After about an hour of silence, Luffy's father finally sighed. "Listen, Luffy," he began, "I know you don't really-"

"It's fine, Shanks," Luffy cut him off quietly. "I'm fine. Moving is fine." He stared wistfully at a passing restaurant. "I'm frickin' starving," he stated with longing.

Shanks, Luffy's foster father, couldn't help but laugh. "All right, perhaps we should stop for lunch."

"A _late_ lunch," Luffy said, frowning. "It's already, like, 3 o'clock." Shanks just smiled as he flipped open his cell phone and called his wife. "Makino, honey, stop at the next restaurant you see, will ya? I think we can stand for some food. ... Yes, I know it's only been an hour, but Luffy here is starving and ... Yeah, okay. Okay. See you in a bit." He hung up. "Ace says there'll be one coming up soon," he said.

Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes, the family found themselves sitting at a table in a nice little restaurant. "So, Garp didn't want to join us?" Shanks inquired after they had all received their drinks.

"Nope," Ace replied. "Grandpa said he'll meet us there. I called him."

When the waiter came and politely asked if they were ready to order yet, Luffy demanded meat. The waiter gave his parents a questioning look, and Shanks said, "Give him two of your biggest steaks, please, rare." Luffy smiled and nodded.

Soon, the family was out again. After making two more stops before reaching their destination, they finally pulled up in front of Garp's house. It was dark since it was midnight. The trip had taken them a total of 10 hours. As Luffy walked out of the car, the smell of sea salt hit him full-force. He definitely seemed to like the smell, though. It made him somewhat cheerful. _'That will be one nice thing about living here now...' _he thought to himself. _'The beach... I love the beach.' _ He frowned. _'I just wish Grandpa didn't live so close to us. Now I'm gonna have to deal with him so much more often. And all cuz Shanks got a job out here. Well... the college Ace wants to go to is real close to here, too. At least he can stay home while he goes to college. I would really hate it if he had to move away.'_

As they entered Garp's large house, Makino thanked him yet again for letting them stay for the night. Shanks turned to look at Luffy and Ace. "Hey boys, why don't you go up to bed? We got a lot of work to do tomorrow, so you should get some good sleep."

"All right, Shanks," Ace complied. "Good night, everyone! Come on, Luffy."

Luffy mumbled a good night as he and Ace went upstairs to their room for the night. It was a nice little guest room with two twin-sized beds in it. The general theme of the room was blue; the walls and the comforters were a nice blue color. The brothers placed down their things and immediately got ready for bed. Luffy wore pajamas whereas Ace simply stripped down to his boxers. After they were settled in beneath the covers, they stayed silent for a while. However, as usual, conversation started.

"Yo, Luffy," Ace whispered. "Why are you so upset about leaving Fuschia Town? What's so special about it?"

"The fact that we grew up there," Luffy whispered back with a sigh. "I mean... besides that, nothing much really. I didn't even like the kids at school there. But I bet that won't be much different here... After all, I'll still be the same annoying, weird kid." He laughed softly. He genuinely didn't care what his peers in school thought about him. He wasn't going to change himself to better suit their expectations. He was who he was, and if no one liked it... tough.

There was another moment of silence before Ace asked another question. "Nervous about starting school in a week?"

"Not really," Luffy replied indifferently.

"Well, I've heard there's a good amount of gang activity around here," Ace said darkly. "I'm sure THAT will make things more interesting."

Luffy smirked in the darkness. "Heh, whatever. I'm not scared of gangs. They're a bunch of cowards."

Ace chuckled. "I'm gonna laugh when you become the victim of a gang beating. We're gonna find ya all messed up in some alleyway or something." His tone grew more serious. "But seriously Luffy, watch what you do and say in Rogue Town High, all right? You don't want to get the wrong people angry..."

"Ace, you and I both know I don't care what others think," Luffy whispered defiantly. "Let 'em get angry! I'm not scared of 'em."

Ace chuckled softly again. "Yes, as you've said," he whispered warmly. "I know you're not afraid. Just... don't make me have to come and save your ass someday, all right?"

"Heh, sure, whatever," Luffy replied. Ace could just about _hear_ the smirk on his younger brother's face. After making that little statement, Luffy rolled over onto his side and brought his knees up to his chest into a fetal position. He closed his eyes. "Maybe... being here won't be so bad. Just as long as Grandpa doesn't bother us too much..."

"You mean bother _you_," Ace corrected, also rolling over and closing his eyes. "He _likes_ me, remember?"

"Aw shut up, Ace," Luffy whispered, followed with a yawn. Despite his annoyed tone of voice, he couldn't help but grin. "You've always been Grandpa's favorite... but whatever. I don't care what Grandpa thinks about me any more than I care about what the kids at school think."

"Of course you don't, Luffy," Ace mumbled as he drifted to sleep. "Of course you don't..."

**Yay, Shanks and Makino are Luffy and Ace's foster parents! It fits well since Shanks has always been Luffy's "father figure" in One Piece. Not to mention Shanks and Makino are the perfect couple. So yeah... please review and tell me what _you _think. :D  
**


	2. First Day

Chapter Two – First Day

If there was one thing that could get Luffy to wake up faster than a bucket of cold water in the face, it was the smell of bacon. Since Makino didn't exactly approve of such unhealthy foods, it was a somewhat rare treat in the household. Shanks, Makino, and Ace were all in their new kitchen when Luffy tore in at top speed. "ALL RIGHT!" he cheered at the sight of the frying pan. "Thanks, Makino!"

Makino nodded and smiled. "Same thing every year, Luffy. First day of school comes with a special breakfast."

Ace leaned back in his chair and grinned. "It's so easy to make you happy, Luffy," he commented, shaking his head. "Just a little bit of good meat, and everything is right in the world, eh?"

Luffy just grinned in return as he sat. Then he looked at Ace. "Why are you up so early? College doesn't start for another week, I thought."

"It doesn't," he replied with a shrug. "I thought it would be good to see you off on your first day at this new school..."

Luffy laughed. "Since when do _you_ care? You love sleeping in. This is surprising!"

Ace smirked. "I'm also gonna drive you every morning for the first week. You know how easily you get lost, so make sure to pay attention when I'm driving you."

Luffy frowned. "Hey, that's not very nice. I don't get lost _that_ easily... do I?"

Everyone sweatdropped. He really _did_ get lost that easily.

Before he knew it, it was time for Luffy to leave. "Awww, but I'm still hungry," he complained as Shanks handed him money for lunch. Shanks laughed. "I guess you'll have to survive until lunch, huh?"

Makino came up and hugged him. "Good luck, honey. Try not to get lost in the school, okay?"

"Hey!" Luffy yelled in protest. "I'm not that dumb, okay? Jeez."

Shanks laughed again and patted his son's shoulder. "More importantly, pay attention in class, and make sure you write all your home-"

"I KNOW, Shanks," Luffy groaned. "Bye, guys." As he and Ace walked down their large front lawn to the car parked in front of it, Makino kept waving as Shanks closed his eyes and grinned.

"How well do you think Luffy will do there...?" Shanks wondered aloud. Makino smiled at her husband. "He'll be fine. We both know it. Now... get inside and iron your clothes for work."

"But Makinooooo," he whined as he followed her inside. "Why can't _you_ do it...?"

* * *

The drive to the school wasn't that long. To Luffy's great annoyance, Ace kept reminding him to pay attention to where they were going. "Don't forget, Luffy," he kept saying, "I'm only driving this first week."

"Be quiet, jeez!" Luffy said exasperatedly. "I know; I won't get lost."

Ace grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm just making-" Suddenly, someone turned out of a side road right in front of them, cutting them off and forcing Ace to slam on the brakes. The black sports car sped away at a ridiculously high speed, its engine roaring obnoxiously. Ace blinked. "Who the hell does that guy think he is...?" he muttered angrily as he continued down the road at a more acceptable speed. "Could've gotten us killed..."

"I'll find out for you," Luffy growled, "and kick his ass."

Ace glanced at him. "Ooooh, no, you won't," he said warningly. "I told you, don't start things in this school. It's dangerous."

Luffy crossed his arms. "And I told _you_, I don't care."

Ace sighed and didn't bother arguing. The rest of the trip was made in silence. They arrived at Roguetown High. Upon entering the rather long entryway that wrapped around the parking lot and led to the front of the school, Luffy couldn't help but notice how much the school resembled a prison. It was large and blocky with a plain, tan color exterior. The only thing that made it seem less foreboding were the several large windows in the upper levels and the cheap flower pots that were placed on the sills as a sad attempt to make the place look more lively. The large front lawn had weak green grass with scraggly trees. The large ornate sign that welcomed people to Roguetown High on that front lawn was surrounded by a poorly done arrangement of flowers.

"Um... welcome to Roguetown High... I guess," Ace said as he pulled up in front of the school, joining the large throng of vehicles doing the same. His voice sounded almost sympathetic. Luffy raised an eyebrow at him. "Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically. "I'll see ya later." He got out of the car and watched Ace drive away. As he joined the crowd to walk up the paved ramp that led to the several glass front doors, he experienced a lot of pushing and shoving. He walked into the large entrance hall. There were lots of kids standing around in groups talking. On the right was the cafeteria. A lot of kids were hanging out in there as well. Some of the long off-white tables were mostly devoid of people. Luffy sat at one of those and just watched the others with his chin in his hands. At one table, there was a group of pretty girls chatting with each other animatedly. At another, there were two boys. One had curly, black hair and a long nose, and the other had neatly combed pink hair and round glasses. They seemed to be arguing over cards laid out on the table. At a third table, there was some huge guy surrounded by a bunch of other tough-looking guys. They were speaking in low tones, sometimes laughing derisively. The huge guy in the middle noticed Luffy looking at him and glared. "What are _you_ looking at, kid?" he snarled.

Luffy raised his eyebrows. "You," he stated as if the answer was obvious. The guy was pretty ugly. He had a large, square face, messy, short purple-ish hair, and a bulging body. He seemed to a leader figure to the little group of tough kids sitting at that table.

"Me?" the boy said, amused. "Hahaha!" He got up and the others backed away with grins on their faces. "You better watch what you say," he added threateningly as he advanced towards Luffy. Luffy continued to watch him with mild interest as he sat down heavily in the chair next to him. He put his arm around Luffy's shoulders in a mock friendly manner. "Otherwise, you just might... get hurt." He took the straw hat off Luffy's head and twirled it around on the tip of his finger. "No hats allowed in school, you naughty boy."

Luffy aggressively snatched his straw hat from the boy's hand. "Don't touch that, you square-face freak," he said, annoyed.

"WHAT?" the boy roared, jumping up. "DON'T YOU DARE-"

A teacher ran in. "Oi, Krieg, isn't a bit early in the school year to be starting fights?" he inquired loudly. "It's the first day, for God's sake. Leave that kid alone."

Krieg put his fist down and stalked away toward his group. "Fine," he muttered. "...For now."

At that point, the bell rang. As everyone milled towards the stairs or first-floor classrooms, Luffy took the schedule that was mailed to him a couple weeks ago out of his red backpack and looked at it. "Aaah, wait, Teacher Ossan," he called to the teacher who was already walking away. He turned around. "Teacher Ossan? Learn a little respect, boy." "Ah, sorry... sir," Luffy quickly added. "Can you tell me where this room is?" His first class was chemistry. The teacher looked at it. "The room number starts with 3, so it's on the third floor. I'm sure you can find it from there." With that, he walked away. "Jeez, such _helpful_ people in this school..." Luffy muttered as he made his way to the stairs.

As he searched the third floor, he heard the bell ring again. "Hmm, sounds like class has just started," he said to himself. Four minutes later, Luffy was still searching in halls empty of people when the bell rang yet again. Now he started to run. "Shit, I'm late!" he groaned as he dashed around. "Oooh, I've been here before... and here... and _here_... and HERE, TOO... Goddamnit!" Finally, he arrived at his classroom five minutes late. The moment he stepped in, a short old lady behind the counter screeched at him, "YOU'RE LATE, YOU PIECE OF VERMIN!" Everyone snickered as he took the front center seat, the only seat left in the crowded classroom. "Sorry," he said, "I'm new here, first day, so I-"

"WHY ARE YOU TALKING?" the teacher screamed. "SHUT UP!" This renewed the quiet laughter all around the classroom.

The rest of the class went uneventful. They went over the syllabus and the teacher laid down the safety rules of the lab. "And last but not least, and I know this will be hard for all of you... DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID! Any questions? Good." At that moment, the bell rang, signifying the start of homeroom. The teacher took attendance as everyone listened to the school announcements coming to them through the speaker hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the room.

The next class was math. It was on the second floor, and this time, Luffy was only 3 minutes late. His teacher, however, was not some half-blind, short old lady who flipped out and screeched at him. It was a tall, dark haired man. When class began, he talked very quietly to the point where the students had to make sure they weren't even breathing too loud to listen to him. Mr. Devlin was indeed a soft spoken man, but it could easily be seen how intelligent he was.

"Another thing..." he said as he was describing how the class will run for the rest of the year. "I do not scold students for misbehaving in class. I do not report them, unless it is under an extreme case. Instead, I will hand you a piece of paper at the end of class that tells you how much your grade has dropped as a result of your... poorly made decision." He gestured at a pile of paper next to his bag on the long teacher's desk. "Do not make me use these, as they are my enemy just as much as they yours. I would like to see everyone here pass. That is my goal as a teacher and I believe you are all highly capable of helping me reach that goal." He paused for a few long moments and looked around almost blandly at the students before him. He then turned around and started writing simple algebra problems on the board.

When the class ended, Luffy heard mutterings of how weird their teacher was. "Why's he gotta be so quiet...? What teacher does that? It's so annoying." "He gives such blank looks. It's almost creepy..." Luffy frowned. He _did_ give a bit of a weird vibe, but at the same time, he couldn't help but like him.

Third period came with study hall. Luffy found this one pretty easy without being late. The fact it was also on the second floor made it easier. The teacher who overlooked this study hall was a rather attractive, young woman who seemed to be very good-natured. When the late bell rang, signifying the beginning of class, she sat on the edge of the teacher's desk and smiled. "Well, study hall is supposed to be quiet and for work, but I know you guys talking is gonna be inevitable. So, just make sure you keep it down to a level where you're not disturbing the classes around us, 'kay?" Everyone happily agreed and immediately started talking to their neighbors. Some people moved chairs around to talk to groups of friends and such. Luffy just leaned back in his chair in the back of the room and closed his eyes, wondering what was going to be for lunch. According to his schedule, he was going to have to go through one more class after study hall before that beloved time of day.

A cute girl with bright blond hair and pale skin was talking to a group of friends. She noticed the boy with black hair in the back sitting all by himself with his eyes closed. He had a sort of nonchalant air about him. She realized that she had never seen him before, so she turned to her friends and said, "Hold on a sec, girls. I'm gonna go talk to that new guy." "Oooh, you noticed him, too?" one of her friends inquired. Another giggled. "He's kinda cute..." "Yeah, but I wonder what's with that straw hat he's got hanging from his neck," yet another said, frowning. "It's kinda weird." The blonde shrugged and got up to walk over to him. She always did this when she noticed a new person. She was a genuinely nice, kind-hearted girl who always wanted to make others feel welcome.

Luffy sensed someone walking over to him, but he didn't bother opening his eyes. "Um, hi," said a soft female voice. Luffy opened an eye to give her a look. She wore relatively plain clothing, but she was rather good-looking nonetheless. A very warm smiled graced her pale face. She extended a slender hand. "My name is Kaya."

Luffy opened both his eyes and shook her hand. "Yo, I'm Luffy," he responded.

Kaya sat down. "So, you're new here, yes?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes again. "I just moved here a week ago."

"I see," she said. "Where are you from?"

"Waaaay up north, in a town called Fuchsia."

"Oooh, so do you like it here?"

"Um, not really. Maybe I just gotta get used to it."

She laughed. "Yeah, I have to say, just about anywhere seems to be a better place to live than Roguetown. I actually live just outside Roguetown."

"Oh? Why do you go to this school then?"

"Well, the house I live in is very old, and it has been passed down from generation to generation. This school was built before the other one closer to me, so it was originally the only choice. Now, it's just tradition that all our family come here..."

Luffy smirked. "Dumb tradition, I'd say."

Kaya nodded appreciatively. "It _is_ rather annoying."

They talked a little more. When they were done, Kaya got up and smiled. "Well, if you ever want someone to do your homework with or something, you can come join me anytime you want, okay?"

Luffy nodded and she walked away. As she rejoined her group, he noticed a blue-haired girl looking at him. He caught her eye and grinned. She quickly looked away with a small smile on her face. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes yet again. _'Haha, the people here are funny,' _he thought. _'I wonder what's for lunch...'_

The bell rang soon after Luffy and Kaya's conversation had ended. Fourth period was history on the first floor. The teacher was a middle-aged woman with black hair. She was nice, but judging by the syllabus, it seemed that she loved to give out work. Luffy groaned inwardly when he saw how many essays they were going to write throughout the year.

Finally, fifth period came. Luffy walked as quickly as he could to the cafeteria. He got there before most other kids, so he didn't have to wait long in line for his food. It was chicken nuggets. He bought that and some chips and sat down at the emptiest long lunch table he could find. He ate his lunch very fast and was disappointed to realize that he was still hungry. However, he had used all the money Makino had given him, so he just sat back and watched the other kids. The cafeteria was quite crowded and noisy. Suddenly, he noticed a somewhat weird looking guy with blue hair and huge arms walking toward his table. He was flanked with two girls. They had extraordinarily huge and odd-shaped black hair and wore rather small, tight clothing that left little to imagination. They were talking and laughing pretty loudly as they walked, drawing annoyed stares from everyone around them. Suddenly, he stopped in front of Luffy's table. The girls stopped as well and gave their companion a curious look. "What's wrong, Aniki?" they asked.

"Yeow!" he exclaimed, looking at Luffy. "Who's this new kid sitting here?" He sat down opposite him and pushed up the sun glasses covering his dark eyes. Luffy realized with a jolt that his nose was metal. "Hey," he greeted, trying to keep his eyes off the guy's nose.

"Name's Franky," the guy stated as if Luffy had asked. Luffy nodded. "And I'm Luffy. Nice to-"

"LUFFY, HUH?" Franky interrupted loudly. "Super name, kid! I like it. Don't you, girls?"

"Of course," they chorused in unison.

Luffy raised an eyebrow. "Umm... thanks."

"No problem, no problem," Franky replied airily. He leaned back and placed his feet on the lunch table. He was wearing worn brown leather sandals. He had a Hawaiian style shirt buttoned up, except it was a bit too small for him and looked like it was going to burst open any minute. Once you include the small swim shorts he was wearing, he was indeed one strange-looking character. "Now," he continued, "I'll have you know that me and my gang are the best mechanical geniuses around! You got any car problems, you come to us. We'll take care of ya real good, and for a much lower price than real mechanics!"

Luffy sweatdropped. "So, um, you're not _real_ mechanics?"

"No no, that's not what I meant...! You know what I mean, Straw Hat!"

"Straw Hat, eh?" Luffy repeated with interest. "No one's called me that before. I like it!" He laughed. "So, Franky, you're the leader of a gang?"

"Yep, and proud of it," Franky nodded. The girls nodded enthusiastically as well. With that, he got up to leave. "Well, Straw Hat, it's been nice talking to you..."

"Wait," Luffy said suddenly as the gang leader started walking away. He turned around. "Hm?"

"Do you know a guy named Krieg?"

Franky laughed. "Who doesn't? That fugly brute is pretty infamous around here. Has the biggest gang in town. Real good fighter too..." He tapped his chin as if thinking hard. "I'd say Zoro is the only one who could give him a run for his money. But seeing as Zoro never fights without reason, and Krieg wouldn't ever want to pick a fight with him... I guess we'll never find out."

"Zoro, huh? Who's that?"

Franky shook his head. "Man, you really _are_ new, aren't you? He's the best fighter around, and the captain of two of our sport teams."

"Oh, so he's not in a gang?"

"Nah, he doesn't really like gangs. He's more of a loner. One lucky guy, too. If you ever see his girl, you'll know why I say that." He laughed again and started walking away. "Ja ne!" "Bye!" the girls chimed in.

* * *

The rest of the day went without event. Luffy's last four classes were English, his elective (cooking), chemistry, and finally gym. When the final bell rang, Luffy heaved a sigh. "My _god_, that was a long day... I thought it would never end." Buses were lined up in front of the school. Kids were standing all around the front lawn and sidewalk hanging out, talking, kissing their significant others good-bye, and other such activity. As the buses pulled away, Luffy noticed Ace's car driving up the entrance road that wound around the parking lot led to the front of the school. As he started walking toward Ace's car, he noticed a beautiful convertible roaring down the parking lot to the exit. In it was a smug Franky, both girls in the car with him. Luffy shook his head when he got in his brother's car.

"Hm? What's up?" Ace inquired as he pulled away.

"Haha, nothing," Luffy replied. "So I met a couple _scary_ gang leaders today." There was much sarcasm in the word "scary".

"Wow, already?" Ace said, surprised. "Well, tell me about it." Luffy told him all about Krieg and Franky.

"Well, that Franky sounds like an interesting guy..." Ace said thoughtfully. "But Krieg is they type I warned you about, Luffy. Don't cross him."

Luffy scowled. "Franky said only some kid named Zoro would have a chance against him. Ha, whatever. I could take on square-face."

Ace shook his head. "I just really hope you don't eat those words someday, Luffy..."

**_Will_****Luffy eat those words someday? Or will he really be able to take Krieg on? And when will Luffy get to meet this legendary Zoro? Okay, so yeah, boring chapter. But don't worry; it will be a lot less boring as it goes on! Okay, until next time. **


	3. Gym Class

**Oh, look, a new chapter! Okay, I just want to point out one inconsistency from Chapter Two. I said that Luffy's eighth period was chemisty... when that was already what he had in first period. I corrected that in this chapter; sorry about that. Well, enjoy!**

Chapter Three – Gym Class

Day number four. At this point, most students were already getting sick of getting up early every morning. The first few days are always easy. It's fun seeing friends again and potentially making new ones, so getting up early and filing into school isn't so bad. However, it doesn't take long at all to start missing the freedom and late mornings of summer vacations.

Luffy was absolutely no exception.

The electronic alarm clock went off for the third time in what would be its final futile attempt to wake its owner. Without even opening his eyes, he grabbed it and flung it at the cold, unforgiving wall. He turned his head on the pillow and smiled slightly as the remains of the poor clock decorated the bedroom floor. Ahhh, silence....

Ace sat up in his bed, yawned, and stretched. He gazed blearily at Luffy. "Mornin'," he mumbled. He threw his comforter onto the floor to cover the clock remains so they wouldn't cause any injuries on his feet as he made his way out of the bedroom. Typical morning. Well, almost; there was still one more thing.... "Wait for it...," Ace said to himself as he shuffled out of the room. And... right on cue. Makino sprinted past him and into the bedroom.

"LUFFY! ANOTHER CLOCK, SERIOUSLY? I TOLD YOU TO KEEP IT AWAY FROM THE BED SO YOU HAVE TO GET UP FOR IT!"

NOW it was the complete typical morning.

It wasn't much longer until Luffy begrudgingly got into Ace's passenger seat. "I hate school," he declared.

Ace looked over at him. "Kidding, right? It's only Thursday. Day four, buddy. That makes like... what? 176 more days?"

Luffy leaned back in the chair and lowered the rim of his straw hat to cover his eyes. "Let me sleep for an hour. I can tackle 176 days with a little more sleep."

Ace laughed. "I know how you feel. I'm the king of Class Napping. I never failed to fall asleep in a class at least once a day."

Luffy laughed, too. "How did you get into college? Teach me how I can pull that off!"

Ace pulled up in front of the school, lifted Luffy's hat, and ruffled his messy black hair. "Have a good one, bro." Luffy got out, started walking up to the school, and turned to grin and wave bye to his brother as he drove off.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called out. Luffy looked over to the source, recognizing her before he actually saw her. Jogging lightly to catch up to him was the blue-haired beauty from Study Hall, Vivi. When she caught up to him, he looked back at Ace's car, now turning onto the main road leading back home. "Your brother's really cute, you know that?" she informed Luffy as they walked up to the door together.

"How can you tell?" Luffy asked, laughing a little. "He never even got out of the car."

"Maybe you're right," she replied, "but I'm not the only girl who's noticed." She giggled a shy little giggle. "Anyway... catch ya later." They had reached the lunch room, and now she walked over to a group of other pretty girls sitting at a table near the large glass paneled wall looking out at the front lawn of the school. Luffy looked around. He still didn't have any friends or a group to sit with in the mornings. Once again, he saw those two kids playing their trading card game. He watched them a little every morning so far, and it seemed that the one with black, curly hair and a long nose always won. Such was the case at that moment, and the kid with glasses covered his face with a hand and shook his head as his opponent chuckled gleefully and collected his cards back into a complete deck. Luffy sat a few rows away and watched idly as they shuffled, drew cards, and prepared to start again... when they suddenly got a visitor at their lonesome table.

The big brutish kid came up behind long-nose and plucked the cards right from his hands. "Well, DIS is a winnin' hand," he said loudly. He raised it over his head as long-nose made a snatch for them. The kid with glasses kind of seemed to cower in his seat as his friend snarled "Don't you losers have anything better to do? Give 'em back!"

Luffy raised his eyebrows, but didn't move. What was this, elementary school? He thought petty bullying was more or less supposed to come to a halt at high school. High school might have fights, brutal insults, and posse politics, but certainly not childish toy stealing. He suddenly noticed a group of kids chuckling darkly as they watched from another table.... His eyes narrowed. Krieg.

Krieg's crony continued his torment. He was now reading aloud the title of each card and flinging each as far as he could in random directions with flicks of his thick wrist. Most of the room was silent now as they watched. Some girls shook their heads, but not a single soul made any move. Luffy looked around quickly and noted a lack of teachers on watch this morning. The bully was about to fling the last card when long-nose grabbed his hand. The smile instantly vanished from the bully's face. He roughly pushed the kid into the table, causing him to tumble over it and hit the floor in an awkward kneeling position on the other side. The glasses kid was now out of his seat and inching away in obvious fear.

It had gone far enough.

Long-nose watched with eyes narrowed in pain as his tormentor gripped both sides of the last remaining card between finger and thumb, clearly about to rip it in half... when suddenly, the card was no longer in his hand. He whipped around to see Luffy gazing at the card now in his hand. "Don't know much about these... but looks like this one is worth some money." He looked at the bully and patted his shoulder, smiling. "I'll hold onto it. Why don't we help long-nose there pick up those other cards?"

Krieg rose up from his chair, almost audibly growling, but he didn't move from his table. He would watch this one out.... It was time to test the straw hat freak.

The crony, of course, didn't hesitate in retaliating in the best way he knew how: physically. He attempted another rough shove, but Luffy wouldn't have that. He aided the bully's own momentum by sidestepping, turning his body, and giving the middle of his back a small, one-handed push. The bully took a few more steps than planned and tripped over a chair. Long-nose, still on the floor, watched in stark surprise. No one stood up to Krieg's gang. It was just too huge and unavoidable both inside and outside of school.... The glasses boy was downright trembling as he watched.

The bully quickly rose back up, trying to reserve as much dignity as possible. Of course, in his mind, the only way to get it all back was to knock this brat out... which he promptly attempted with a heavy-looking punch. Luffy caught his fist with no effort and twisted his wrist as far as it would go without breaking. The bully yelped in pain and yanked his hand from Luffy's grip. Luffy allowed it and watched him look down at his wrist with big eyes. "What the FU-"

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?"

The teacher that should have been here since the beginning decided to make his entrance at that very moment. "Krieg's gang AGAIN?" he said, speed walking over to the scene. All eyes and ears were turned toward the little confrontation now. He looked at the bully's hand and saw the finger marks that were clearly visible to even long-nose and glasses boy. Never mind the twisting.... Luffy's grip on his fist alone could have broken his hand if any more pressure had been added. "And finally someone stood up to you guys, huh?" The teacher looked at Luffy. "Well... doesn't seem you hit him or anything. Watch yourself, though. You're just as susceptible to the consequences for fighting as anyone else in this school... even if it IS against some kids who might deserve it." He glared over at Krieg's group. "I'm watching. Sit there and be nice." He sent the bully off to the disciplinarian's office. Everyone in the lunch room went back to their original business and discussions. Krieg and his group stalked out of the lunch room, glaring at Luffy as they walked out.

Luffy extended a hand down to long-nose, who was still on the floor. "Name's Luffy. Yours?"

Long-nose, still looking slightly in shock, took his hand and stood back up. "Uh... Usopp," he answered in a decidedly whiny-sounding voice. He gestured at glasses boy and added almost as an afterthought, "And that's Coby. Nice to meet you, I guess." Luffy gave Coby a wave and a smile. Coby weakly returned both. The three kind of stood around awkwardly. Coby and Usopp weren't the only ones with eyes on him; most of the lunch room occupants glanced at him from time to time. He made an impression that morning. Some felt bad for him.... Everyone knew how brutal Krieg's gang was, especially when it came to revenge.

"Well..." Luffy said slowly, "we should, uh... pick up your cards. Before the bell."

"Ah... right," Usopp agreed. The three walked around and picked up the cards. The bell rang shortly after Usopp's muttered thanks. The three joined the crowd milling up the stairs and to their first classes. "By the way..." Usopp said, turning to Luffy, "I would've been okay. I'm backed up by a faithful gang maybe even bigger than Krieg's. It's gotta be around 800 members now.... Oh man, if I fought that guy and they tried to avenge him, they would've gotten the REAL punishment!"

Luffy raised his eyebrows. "Eight hundred? Wow! I'm surprised I haven't heard about it yet!"

Coby shook his head. "Oh, don't listen to him, he's just-" He was interrupted by Usopp's hand covering his mouth. "Oh ho ho ho! No need to be jealous, Coby! If you wanted to be member number 801, you should've just said so...!"

Luffy laughed and started taking a right turn. "My class is this way... I think. See ya two later!" The two card players waved, Coby with a smile, Usopp with a grand self-important smirk.

Most of the classes that day went more or less without incident. Mr. Devlin of math class gave more homework than usual. The class groaned and complained later, but Luffy didn't mind; Ace would help him. Luffy spent Study Hall talking and laughing with Kaya and Vivi. History bored him almost to sleep as the teacher droned on about the first settlement of South Blue. Lunch was delicious and, as usual, not quite enough food. Luffy had taken to sitting with the senior Franky, who was sometimes also joined by some of his gang members. Luffy's fellow juniors would sometimes give him interesting looks as they walked by his lunch table, some even with respect. The English teacher, a heavyset balding man, had a crude sense of humor which some students found very funny indeed, while others felt it was awkward or even offensive. Luffy was only sour during that class because it was right after lunch and he was always still hungry. That's why he also looked forward to the next class: cooking. When they had labs, they would get to eat what they made afterwards, and that day was their first lab. They were baking cookies. It was Luffy's turn on the job cycle to get out the basic materials needed (mixing bowl, electronic mixer, etc) and do the dishes. His three teammates were a blond sophomore with a weird-shaped head and blatantly butt-shaped chin, a blond senior whose hair covered one eye and always dressed very nicely, and a girl senior with black hair and an annoying, whiny voice.

When they finished combining the ingredients to mix, Luffy got his hands on the electronic mixer. "This is easy!" he declared happily as he turned it to the max speed setting and started lowering it towards the batter.

"No...!" the blond senior cried out, but it was too late. Batter flew everywhere. The girl squealed as it splattered her clothes. The butt-chin boy dove away from the counter. Luffy turned his batter-speckled face to the blond senior and gave him a big grin. "Sorry, Sanji," he chuckled. Sanji just threw him a rag and shook his head.

Eighth period brought the excitement of Public Speaking. Thankfully, it only lasted half a year, but for some strange reason, passing it was a requirement for graduating. Luffy didn't mind it so much himself, but he definitely found watching everyone make presentations very boring. Today, the students were separated into pairs chosen by the teacher Mr. Doflamingo. He was an oddly flamboyant man with a constant evil-looking smile on his face. Indeed, his tight clothing and large coat made of pink feathers baffled the students. He mostly spoke softly, but his voice gave an unexplainable feeling of power to its listeners.

"Fufufu.... So today, you will split up into pairs and come up with a joint presentation speech. You can make a Powerpoint, a poster, anything you'd like. You will be trying to convince the class of your opinion on a controversial subject, such as the upcoming election of East Blue's next governor.... Do you think Governor Nefertari Cobra should keep the seat to continue the long-established Nefertari tradition, or should we usher in a new era with the election of Sir Crocodile? Fufufufufu... only time will tell." He looked around the class. Everyone stared back at him, seemingly hypnotized. "Well, I will now list who you're pairing with...."

Luffy was paired with a sophomore named Jango. Despite his second year status, he looked like a creepy adult. His heart-shaped sunglasses never came off and obscured his eyes completely. His straggly gray hung down to his upper back. "All right..." he said quietly to Luffy, "let's make a speech about the controversy surrounding hypnotherapy." He pulled out a large silver ring attached to a string that looked suspiciously like a chakram. "I'll hypnotize you with this, and-" Doflamingo interrupted him by plucking the ring out of his hand from behind.

"Fufufufu... no weapons allowed in school."

Luffy laughed at Jango's flabbergasted face.

When the bell finally rang, the two had decided on a simple and easy topic: the human slave trade in the Grand Line. Presentations would be on Monday. Luffy thought Jango was funny, but he would be glad when he didn't have to work with him anymore. As they walked out of the classroom, Luffy watched Jango hurry over to a boy leaning on the lockers across the hallway, apparently waiting for him. The boy was tall, wore thin glasses with circular lenses, and had his short black hair combed back neatly. Jango's demeanor seemed to change a bit as the two walked away, muttering to each other. He seemed to become a bit more serious… though he still walked backwards like a complete weirdo.

Luffy couldn't help but feel a small amount of excitement as he walked to his next and final class. Physical Education had been boring… but today, he would have his first day in the Advanced Physical Education class. It quickly became clear to his first gym teacher that he needed to be in the advanced gym class when the students had played their first game of the year: flag football. Luffy hadn't quite understood the rules before the first play. It had been a pretty simple play; the opposite team's quarterback threw the ball for a first down catch. The receiver hadn't had a chance to go any further far as Luffy had quickly grabbed his flag. However, the end of that first play had left everyone confused; more than half the students were missing both the flags they were had been wearing on their waists. The teacher had then noticed Luffy's hands. There were countless flags of both colors stuffed into his fists.

"Um… do I win? I got the most flags."

The teacher, amazed by both Luffy's speed and inability to grasp such simple rules, had him placed into the advanced gym class. Despite the lack of competition, Luffy enjoyed himself. Now it would be even more fun with a little competition to go with the games.

Luffy found the other, smaller gymnasium as soon as the bell rang… which was too late for the teacher.

"Hmmm… a little slow, are we?" she said in a quiet, deadly-sounding voice. Her stare pierced him as he walked past her to the boy's locker room. Luffy quickly glanced at her rather pretty face framed by long pink hair, bowed his head, and picked up the pace.

By the time he was done changing, most of the boys were already walking out. Some of them gave his straw hat weird looks, but Luffy didn't really take notice; he was quite used to it. As he walked out, another boy filed in beside him and gave him a friendly elbow in the ribs. He grinned as Luffy glanced at him. "Hey… I saw Miss Hina almost chew you out back there. She's damn hot, but don't let those looks deceive you…. She's even scarier than Krieg or the disciplinarian. Just a friendly warning for the new kid." Luffy gave him a thanks as they separated to take their seats on the gym floor.

Hina walked out of a storage room off to the side dragging a large red mesh bag behind her. She stopped in front of the seated class and dumped out the bag's contents with hand resting on her hip. The soft, colorful balls bounced only a little as they hit the floor.

"Dodgeball," she said simply. "If you don't already understand the rules, you can get out." The piercing stare fell on Luffy for a moment, making him feel a bit nervous. She then pointed to one green-haired boy and one girl with glasses and short black hair. "You two, captains. Pick your teams. Ladies first." She glanced at the female captain and sighed. "What did I tell you about glasses in gym class, Tashigi?" She tossed the student a pair of goggles. She caught them, looking slightly embarrassed as she put them on over her glasses.

The two captains took turns picking their team members. Luffy watched patiently until he and a girl were the last two left. It was the female captain's turn, and she felt bad for leaving the new kid out. She picked Luffy, leaving the other captain with the final remaining girl. Hina had lined the balls up along the middle dividing line of the gymnasium as the teams were being formed. Each team now moved to one side of the room, Luffy following his team members trying not to look lost or confused. Everyone watched Hina as she lifted the whistle up near her lips. "Last team standing. Hold onto the ball for more than ten seconds and you're out. A catch allows the team member who has been out longest to come back in and counts as an out for the thrower. Ready…"

The whistle was blown.

Each team had 11 members, and about 5 of each made a mad dash for the balls lying in the center, including the two captains. Suddenly, balls were flying everywhere. Everyone was doing their best to dodge them, but the boy nearest to Luffy went flying with a cry as a blurry rocket of a ball hit him dead center in the face. Luffy's heart was pumping hard now, his eyes wide. He managed to dodge two balls at the same time. However, as he bent to pick up a loose one, he was hit soundly in his side, knocking the wind out of him. He lay on the floor for a moment before Hina's voice rang through the gymnasium, "Get out! GET OUT!" He feebly got to his feet and shuffled over to join his other unfortunate teammates off to the side. He looked back at the field. There were three left on his side and six on the other. It was clear which team was going to win. Luffy noticed his fellow defeated teammates watching the other team with dark looks on their faces. He looked more carefully and noticed that most of the looks were directed at the other team's captain.

"How can we be expected to beat that guy…?" one muttered angrily. "He's a beast. No one can beat him." Luffy looked at him and noticed it was the same guy who warned him about Hina earlier. He grinned at the sandy-haired boy. "Don't worry, I'll get him next game."

The other kid looked at him incredulously. "Ha… no offense, but you didn't do too well out there." His gaze went back to the game. The enemy team was now celebrating its victory as their last target fell. "Besides, you're talking about Zoro. Psh, good luck."

Luffy's eyes brightened. "THAT'S Zoro?" he said. "Oh, cool! Yeah, I'll beat him and tell Franky about it." He grinned at the boy again. "Don't worry 'bout how I did in the first game. Just didn't know what was going on."

The boy couldn't help but give him a weird look as he walked back to the playing field with the rest of the team to prepare for the next round. "Didn't know…?" he mumbled. "Has he never played dodgeball before?"

The two teams regrouped and watched Hina line up the balls. She raised the whistle to her lips.... Luffy found Zoro's eyes and gave him his game face, complete with toothy grin. One of Zoro's eyebrows raised slightly.

The whistle blew once more. Round two began.

Luffy was far ahead of his teammates in the inital dash. He was at the center a full second before anyone on either team could reach it, including Zoro. The green-haired senior's eyes widened as Luffy scooped up a ball and whipped it at his head all in one smooth, blurred movement. He felt his hair sawy from its wind as he ducked just in time to let the projectile hit someone else in the side of the head, felling him like a tree and knocking him out cold. Zoro glanced back at the fallen teammate in amazement for a split second before two more rockets flying at the same speed brought his attention back. He rolled to avoid, grabbing a ball and whipping it at Luffy's leg as he did so. Luffy hopped to avoid. The ball took on a skyward curve, bashing a fellow male directly in the spot every man fears of getting hit in the most. An awkward, squeaky cry was heard over all the ruckus as he, too, fell like a tree, immediately curling up into the fetal position where he would remain for the remainder of the class. Three more balls zoomed at Luffy. He caught one with a single hand, used it to deflect the second one back at another opponent, and caught the third with the other hand. He flung both at two girls running forward to get more ammo. Zoro threw one at him at the exact same time, a trick that almost never failed him due to his superior throwing ability. Luffy, however, bent over backwards to avoid it with ease without even looking directly at the oncoming missile. He caught the amazed look on the sandy-haired boy's face behind him before straightening again.

"Hey...!" the kid called out. "How did you become this good...? !"

Luffy didn't reply as he leapt into the air to avoid another ball while catching yet another that was aimed for a teammate. After a few more moment of mayhem, it was down to three versus three. In a sudden fury that could only be described as a colorful blur, Luffy and Zoro dashed about and ignored the others as they whipped every ball in their reach at each other. Even Hina's eyes widened a bit as she watched. The other two members of each team battled it out as the two monsters sought to kill each other. Unfortunately, one of the stray shots got too close to Zoro and he caught it. One of his teammates ran back onto the field only to be taken down again by the sandy-haired boy. Luffy simultaneously took out Zoro's other teammate. It was now two versus one. Zoro's face remained passive despite his predicament. He and Luffy stared each other down for a few moments, Luffy sporting his usual grin. His companion looked wildly between the two, unable to determine what would happen next. He blinked, and suddenly, a red blur buried itself into his gut. He fell to one knee, clutching the spot and wincing as Luffy did a crazy horizontal leap to both avoid and counterattack Zoro's next two shots. As Zoro dashed about the field to dodge Luffy's frenzied shots, he kicked the balls laying on his side into a group, biding his time for one last fierce attack to finally take this nuisance down. Luffy didn't seem to notice Zoro's lack of counterattacks until it was too late; Zoro now had every ball at his feet.

"Nice!" Luffy exclaimed.

Zoro's machine gun attack commenced. In movements that were simply too fast to follow, both of his arms disappeared as they flung ball after ball at his final opponent, his foot deftly kicking up more projectiles to his hands as soon as he threw them.

The jaws of every spectator dropped as they witnessed Luffy make the most ridiculous moves to dodge every single one, each thrown at a speed fast enough to bounce off the wall behind him and easily reach the wall on the other side of the gymnasium. Rolls, flips, cartwheels, and even crazy movements on the floor that could only be vaguely described as breakdancing were all executed at speeds no slower than the projectiles themselves. Zoro's frustration mounted and seemed to peak as he reached the last ball. He slipped on that last one. His frustration finally caused him to make a mistake. It felt wrong the moment it left his fingers.

Standing on one hand in the midst of his last dodge, Luffy caught the ball with his teeth.

And with that, the game was over. The invincible Zoro finally fell before the whole class.

At first, shock ruled over the room as everyone stood in perfect, awestruck silence. Then, Luffy's side of the room erupted into cheers, clapping, and shouts of "WOW!" "DAMN, YOU'RE GOOD!" "HOLY SHIT, DID YOU SEE THAT?" as they all ran toward the team hero.

Hina couldn't help but smirk. Even the other team looked impressed, including Zoro. Never before had she seen a dodgeball game taken so seriously. She had to admit, though; it was one she'd never forget.

* * *

The bell rang, and all the advanced gym students filed out of their locker rooms and headed toward freedom. The sandy-haired boy walked beside Luffy as everyone left. "Seriously, Luffy, that was ridiculous," he said again. "With your teeth.... Your TEETH!"

Luffy laughed at the boy, who had introduced himself in the locker room as Kohza. "I couldn't use my hands, though, right? I was in that handstand... and Zoro's throw was slow. Couldn't miss the opportunity."

Luffy felt someone clap him on the shoulder. He turned around to see a smiling Tashigi. "Glad I picked you," she said simply, and walked past them.

Kohza watched her as he slipped on a pair of shades with violet-tinted lenses. "She's kind of a socially awkward girl," he told Luffy. "She's nice, though, and humble. A bit clumsy, too."

The two walked past the nurse's office on their way out. Luffy saw the victim of his first throw in the second round come out with an ice pack held against his head. Luffy smiled sheepishly. "No hard feelings, eh?" The kid simply shook his sore head and walked away. Kohza laughed. "Haha, watch out, Luffy. That was one of Krieg's kids. Maybe they'll get revenge!"

Luffy turned to him. "Oh, that would be cool," he replied. "I wouldn't mind a fight with Krieg. He messed with my straw hat once, and he's kind of a jerk."

"Kind of? He's the one of the worst."

The two turned around to see Zoro, walking behind them. "Good game today, kid," he continued, looking at Luffy. "Don't get used to it, though." He turned and walked toward a group of girls. Luffy watched as one of them saw his approach, waved bye to her friends, and walked over to him to share a kiss. They walked towards the front doors together.

"Huh... so that girl is who Franky was talking about."

Kohza glanced over. "Hm? Oh yeah, Nami. She's been with him for a while now. She's one of the most sought after girls in the school." He shrugged as he looked away. "Not that special to me, though."

Luffy silently agreed. She was indeed very pretty, but no goddess. He wasn't very interested in that kind of thing, anyway. His mind was on gym and his new rival. No one from Fuschia could match his physical abilities. It was pretty exciting. He realized he would love to fight him. This surprised him, as he never particularly cared for fighting. He was only ever willing to fight people like Krieg... people who deserved it. Maybe part of the reason was that no one was ever a match for him. The training pounded into him by his grandfather made him seem invincible. Although he didn't fight in the style Garp wanted him to, his natural fighting genius and strength were both brought to even greater levels by his intense training. With jerk gang members like Krieg and powerful opponents like Zoro, perhaps this school would come to show Luffy a joy in fighting, a joy that he believed Garp had long robbed from him with his constant drilling and pushing.

As he left the building and waited to see Ace's car, he saw Zoro and Nami walking into the parking lot together. Joy from fighting.... Luffy couldn't wait to see if it was possible.

* * *

The evening at home was mostly uneventful. The family sat down to a delicious pork chop dinner in the dining room.

"Tho," Shanks began with a mouthful of food, "haw wuth yo day, Oofy?" Makino slapped him upside the head. He swallowed the food and glanced at her apologetically.

Luffy shrugged. "It was fun," he replied. "I was moved to a more advanced gym class. I actually met someone equal to me. We were playing this game called dodgeball, and I got out real quick the first time cuz I had no idea what was going on. But in the second round, it ended up being just me against this one kid Zoro, and I barely beat him. He was just as fast as me, it was great."

Shanks raised his eyebrows. "Well, that's good. Just don't let your grandpa know. He might make you recruit this kid as your new sparring partner." He chuckled as he took another large bite of food.

Luffy smiled. "Guess I won't tell him, then. Besides, Ace is a good enough sparring partner."

Ace nodded. "Indeed, indeed. Nothing's more fun than our sparring, eh, Luffy?" The two brothers grinned as Makino shook her head. She didn't really approve of Garp's training or violence at all.

After dinner and cleaning up were done, Luffy and Ace were busy vegetating on the couch in front of the TV when they heard Makino's voice. "Luffy!" she called. "Could you go to the store and get some milk, hun? We're all out."

Ace glanced over at him. "Won't get lost, yeah?" He chuckled as he blocked the punch aimed at his shoulder.

Luffy got the money from Makino and left the house. It didn't take long to walk the block and a half separating his house from the convenience store. He looked up at the sky as he walked beneath the glow of the streetlights. It was almost completely dark now.

After a few minutes, he was approaching the small store. There was a group of ten kids hanging out in front of it despite the No Loitering sign. Most were smoking as they talked. They glanced at him amidst their chattering as he walked through the front doors and into the store. Once inside, he found and bought the milk and a candy bar for himself, thanked the cashier, and started to walk back to the door.

"Oh," the kind cashier called out to Luffy as he approached the door, "be careful out there. Those kids probably mean trouble. There's been a lot of gang activity lately, unfortunately."

Luffy smiled at him. "Thanks for the warning. I'll be okay." And with that, he walked out.

He immediately noticed that the kids were much closer to the door now. He also noticed various crude weapons such as baseball bats and chains. This time, the group fell completely silent as they watched him start to walk away.

"Heyyy... don't we know you?"

Luffy ignored it and kept walking at the same pace. He heard heavy footsteps behind him. "Whoa, we're talking to you, kid. Slow down, huh?" He felt one of them grab his shoulder from behind... and that was it. With no hesitation, Luffy reached behind him, grabbed the thug's thick forearm, and easily threw him over his shoulder. He turned around to see the other nine quickly surround him. He turned again to see the guy he threw get up and join the circle, snarling.

"So, THIS is the amazing dodgeball acrobat," one of them said in a mockingly admiring voice. "We've heard all about you! Gotta say, though, knocking out that one kid was a mistake."

"Oh, so you're all Krieg's nakama," Luffy said calmly. "Kohza said that kid was from his gang."

"That's right," the gang member replied, sneering. "Do you know who that kid is? He's Gin's younger brother. Gin's the Don's right-hand man, you know. How unlucky for you."

Luffy glanced warily at the weapons as they closed in a little more. _Man_, he thought. _It's only been four days and this stuff's already happening. Well... let's see how things turn out. Looks pretty serious, though._

Luffy raised his fists as two of the kids charged him, bats raised....

**I did not do a complete proofreading, so please forgive me if there are any mistakes. I tried to keep Luffy more in-character as he was a bit too much OOC in the previous chapters. Also, please note I changed the genre from Romance/Drama to General/Romance. Choosing drama was meant to be somewhat of a joke, since as I stated in the first chapter, high school is all about drama. All reviews are welcome and appreciated, including flames. Thank you for reading.... Until next time!**


	4. Friends and Enemies

**Phew, a new update! I recently registered myself as a beta reader, and amongst the betaing I've been doing, I got back some inspiration to write again. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 4 – Friends and Enemies

Two of Krieg's gang members broke the circle as they rushed Luffy, their bats raised. He didn't give them the satisfaction of the first attack. Dropping the bag containing the milk and candy bar, he stepped and made a quick, upward sweeping kick to knock the hand of one thug into the other's. The bats were knocked out of their grip, making a distinct clanking noise as they hit the pavement. Before the bats even had the chance to make their telltale sound, Luffy followed up his kick by rapidly turning his body and crouching, aiming another sweep kick at his opponents' thick legs. They hit the pavement almost at the same time as the bats. From the ground, he used his hands as springs to brutally bury his feet in the nearest opponent's gut. He quickly flattened himself to the ground to avoid a couple of chain swings. A cry was heard as one of them accidentally struck another thug in the face. Staying close to the ground kept Luffy's range of vision severely limited, so he sprung back up to his feet to try to get a better handle on the situation. His straw hat had already fallen off at some point; it now dangled behind him from its string around his neck. Only two of his assailants were out of commission now; the two guys he tripped were back up. He was still surrounded, and the gang members now rushed him simultaneously. He was able to shatter one attacker's nose with his fist and crack another's ribcage with his elbow before the other six were on top of him, knocking him to the ground.

While Luffy's strength was great, he couldn't hope to fight his way out of the pure combined weight of six guys all larger and heavier than he. After a brief and violent struggle on the pavement, four thugs were able to get Luffy standing with both arms pulled behind his back dangerously far. He was very flexible, but he still felt the pain of joints bending in directions they weren't made to. The other two thugs stepped away from him, breathing heavily, one sporting a bleeding scrape on his forehead.

"Jesus.... Definitely a tough guy here. But... you couldn't escape Krieg forever."

"Forever?" Luffy replied, also out of breath. "It's only been four days since I met him. Sheesh, you guys are babies."

The one with the scraped forehead growled and lunged forward to punch Luffy's unguarded gut. He steeled his stomach and took the hit. The force of the punch was enough to lift him off his feet a bit as he was held in place, but he barely felt it... and he saw the attacker give his fist a fleeting glance as if he was surprised.

"Hurt, huh?" Luffy chuckled.

This enraged the attacker, and with a roar, he punched Luffy as hard as he could three times in the face. He stepped back and shook his wrist several times, smirking at the damage he caused. Luffy looked up at him darkly and spat out a little blood. "Bastard," he muttered.

"Watch your mouth," the thug growled in reply. He made another fist and pulled it back.... Suddenly, he stopped and went wide-eyed at the sight of something behind Luffy and his four captors and called "Look out!"

One of the thugs holding Luffy's left arm yelled out in pain and quickly let go to hold the back of his head which apparently had just been struck. He took a step away from his sudden attacker, and the others loosened their grip on Luffy's arms as they turned in surprise. Luffy quickly took his chance and wrested his arms from their grasp. He was just as surprised as the others to see a female brandishing a wooden bo at the gang members, a look of wild fear in her eyes.

"J-Jerks!" she accused them shakily, turning her bo towards each of them one at a time.

Luffy's face took on a look of slightly goofy surprise as he suddenly realized that he recognized her. The bright orange hair that hung down to just below her shoulder blades gave it away. It was Nami, the girlfriend of Zoro.

"Hey…!" he called to her. "Get away, I've got this! You'll get hurt!"

"Got this, huh?" she retorted, still keeping her eyes on the four gang members now approaching her slowly and menacingly. "I could see that!"

One of them lunged at her, only to have her sidestep and knock the wind out of him with a solid swing to the man's unprotected side. The other three rushed her at once. She raised her bo, her eyes widening in hopelessness....

Luffy flew into one of them with his shoulder lowered, knocking them into each other like bowling pins. "You're crazy!" he laughed, giving Nami a quick look before whipping around to face the other two still standing.

"Hey, hey...." the one who punched Luffy said with a smile, brushing dark bangs out of his eyes. "Nami's here! Let us have the girl, Straw Hat, come on. She wants to fight, let her!"

Luffy glanced back at her again and then brought his attention back to the two in front of him, raising his fists and grinning. "Nah, we're having fun here!" he replied. "I can take care of the rest. I'll have to thank her later for saving me, though."

Nami lowered her weapon a bit and looked at him. "It wasn't for you in particular," she said quickly. "I just... don't like seeing gangs get away with whatever they want."

Luffy just smiled without turning back to face her again and suddenly lunged at his opponents. As he did so, he heard Nami shriek, "AH, THEY'RE BACK UP!"

Luffy quickly glanced over his shoulder to see the three guys he knocked over advancing on her slowly as she backed away from them. He muttered a curse before quickly ducking to avoid a punch. He whipped around and countered with a sharp uppercut to the chin. His victim fell back onto the ground hard, dazed. The second guy ran for a bat. Luffy let him go as he turned and dashed yet again at the three trying to attack Nami. He turned one around, punched him hard in the gut, and sharply brought a knee up to greet his face as he bent over in pain. The other two turned toward him, and Nami jumped forward to hit one of them upside the head while he was distracted. He staggered back holding his head while an annoyed Luffy landed a heavy kick in the crotch of the third, causing him to crumple immediately with a tiny high-pitched sound. Nami winced involuntarily, then quickly turned back to the guy she had just hit and forcefully thrust the end of her bo into his gut, turned to gain momentum, and gave him a final blow to the back of the skull.

"Look out!" she suddenly yelled.

Luffy's reaction was thankfully instant. He turned and dodged the bat aimed for his side by an inch. He yanked the bat out of the thug's grip, tossed it away, and threw a punch at his face. He quickly raised his arms to try to block it, but Luffy's fist blasted through the guard. He followed up with a punch from his other hand, and the fight was finally over.

Luffy and Nami just stood there for a bit, both breathing heavily as they looked around at each defeated gang member. They all seemed to be unconscious or at least heavily dazed. Finally, Luffy's gaze fell on his savior and he grinned.

"Well, thanks!" he said simply, holding out his hand to her. "I'm Luffy."

She met his gaze and gave him a somewhat weak smile in return. "And I'm Nami," she responded, allowing him to give her slender hand a quick shake. "Don't worry about it...." She gave the two ends of her bo a sharp twist, separating the weapon into four segments attached by string. She folded it up and tucked it down the front of her shirt. "Besides, now I get the loot."

Luffy watched in amazement as she went over to a couple of the unconscious gang members and took the wallets out of their pockets, emptying their monetary contents into the purse she had dropped onto the sidewalk when she had whipped out her bo to save this random boy she had seen only once at school. As she slipped their wallets back into their pockets, Luffy laughed. "Wow, seriously?" he said incredulously. "You're just gonna KEEP that?"

Nami smirked. "Why not? Most of this money isn't rightfully theirs, anyway. Gangs are scum. Plus-" She was interrupted by the loud, unmistakable wail of police sirens in the distance. "Uh oh," she said in a suddenly hushed voice. She quickly glanced over the carnage once again. "Should we run?"

Luffy shrugged. "I don't think so.... We did nothing wrong, right? You said the money wasn't theirs...."

She glanced at her purse, then back at Luffy and nodded. Besides the wallet plundering, which Nami had to convince herself WAS technically wrong, he was right; if the police saw them running, they would look very suspicious when they had done nothing but defend themselves. As they waited for the cop cars to reach them, the cashier who had warned Luffy came running out of the store and looked around in disbelief.

"Wow... looks like I didn't even need to call the cops, did I?" he murmured.

Luffy smiled. "Told you I'd be okay, ossan," he said cheerfully. "Don't blame you for calling the cops, though.... I looked like I was in real trouble, huh?"

Nami snorted. "You were, until I saved you."

The cashier shook his head. "Yeah, I couldn't take chances. When I looked out, you were being held and punched. This isn't the first time I've seen a fight in front of my store...." He picked up the bag containing Luffy's earlier purchases and handed it to its owner, smiling a bit. "Don't forget this."

Luffy nodded. "Oh yeah, thanks. Makino would've been mad!"

Nami took a closer look at Luffy's face, frowned, and reached into her purse. "You should clean up some of that blood.... Looks like your lip got cut pretty good. And you got one over your eye, too.... It's gonna swell. You'll need ice, but for now... here, don't move...."

As she gently dabbed some of the blood off of Luffy's eye, the cops pulled up. There were only two cars. A nondescript traffic officer came out of one car, and a well-built man with light, bluish-gray hair came out of the other along with a female deputy. Nami raised her eyebrows slightly at the small turnout. Only three officers for a gang attack....?

The female deputy rushed over to the gang members lying about to kneel down and inspect a few of them. She stood and turned toward the traffic officer who was still standing nearby the vehicles. "When's the ambulance coming?" she called, brushing dark bangs away from her eyes.

As the officer consulted his radio, the gray-haired man walked over to Luffy and Nami. Nami had discarded the cloth in a nearby trashcan and now stood beside Luffy. The officer, clearly of higher rank, gave Luffy a once over with cold, squinted eyes. "You okay, kid?" he asked in a low, gruff voice that failed to convey that he actually cared if anyone was okay. Before Luffy could even answer, he swept past him to inspect the fallen hoodlums. Nami turned to watch him and noticed a jitte strapped loosely to his back catch the light coming from the store. Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized something. "Oh damn...." she breathed.

Luffy glanced at her. "What's up?"

"I think that's Captain Smoker," she replied, still watching him as he knelt down beside one of the unconscious thugs and started to awake him rather roughly. "It's gotta be, with that jitte.... He's the top cop in this precinct, and he's known for being ruthless. There've been rumors that he's even beaten the crap out of some juveniles suspected to be gang members, but no one could really prove it.... He'd be in trouble otherwise."

Luffy gave a low whistle as he turned to watch the cop as well. Smoker had finally succeeded in shaking the kid back to his senses. He watched blearily as the police captain jammed two fat cigars into his own mouth and lit them. He exhaled slowly, almost luxuriously, directly into the thug's face. "Krieg's, huh?"

The kid's brutish face suddenly turned frightened. "N-none of your b-" With a cry, he quite suddenly found the point of a sinisterly gleaming jitte pressing lightly into his throat.

"Krieg's, huh?" Smoker repeated in the exact same tone of voice, tilting his head up and exhaling more smoke.

"Shit, yes, okay, yes yes!" he exclaimed very quickly. "But you already knew who it was, and you know you can't do a damn thing-!"

Smoker grabbed him by the face, hand covering the mouth, and lifted him effortlessly off the ground. He looked around at the others while the female deputy stared at him. "You all have the right to remain silent."

Nami sweatdropped as she watched. "Um, isn't a bit too late for that speech...?" she mumbled so only Luffy heard.

Smoker continued. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law." He roughly tossed his prisoner back onto the ground and began cuffing him. "You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you." He straightened and placed a foot on the kid he just cuffed. "Got it, punks?"

The deputy took a cautious step forward. "Uh, Captain, sir... they're injured, so I wouldn't treat them so roughly...."

"You're too soft, Kuina," Smoker rumbled in reply. He tossed her a few pairs of handcuffs and gestured at the remaining gang members. "Well, finish the job. I want them ready for the ambulance. The quicker we are, the quicker we can put these jerkoffs where they belong." As he started to walk back over to Luffy and Nami, he barked, "When's that ambulance coming again?"

"They should be only two or three blocks away by now, sir," the traffic officer answered.

He grunted and stopped in front of Luffy again. He peered down at him through the heavy smoke issuing from his two cigars, and Luffy steadily met his gaze with a bemused expression.

"Well, those rights I recited were for your ears, too," said Smoker, turning his gaze to Nami and then back to Luffy. "So are you from a gang or what?"

"Nope," Luffy replied, and Nami shook her head vigorously.

"Who started this fight?"

"They did," Luffy said, scratching his head. He suddenly realized that his straw hat was still dangling behind him, so he reached back and placed it back on his head where it belonged.

Smoker eyed his hat for a few long seconds before returning his gaze to its owner. "Nice hat," he growled. "So you beat these guys up all by yourself?"

"No, she helped," Luffy answered promptly, pointing at Nami. She involuntarily winced. "W-well, he was getting beat pretty bad," she said in an almost defensive tone. "I never wanted to be involved in any gang fights, but this kid isn't in any gang, so...."

"You two know each other then?"

She looked at the boy she saved. "Actually, no...."

Luffy stuck his hand out to Smoker and grinned. "I'm from the town of Fuschia. Just moved here. Name's Luffy, nice to meet you!"

Smoker momentarily eyed his hand with what looked like contempt before giving it a brief, yet very firm shake. "That's nice.... All right, whatever, get out of here. But don't forget..." His eyes narrowed even further as his gaze on Luffy hardened. "I'm watching you."

At this point, the ambulance had arrived and they were helping the more grievously injured get onboard. Smoker sharply turned away from the two high school kids and walked towards his car without a backwards glance. They caught Kuina's gaze for a moment. She gave them an almost apologetic look before returning to her work.

For a few moments, the pair just stood there and watched their attackers get pushed into either the police cars or the ambulance. Nami sighed, shifted her purse's shoulder strap higher up, and started walking away. "Well, see ya."

Luffy watched her for a moment before calling out, "Oh, uh, thanks again!"

She glanced back with a smirk on her face. "Well, just watch yourself. My help's gonna cost ya next time!"

Luffy laughed and waved, not really able to tell if she was actually joking or not. Once she was out of his range of sight and the emergency vehicles started pulling away, he also started his short walk home. He stared at his shadow dancing beneath the streetlights as he walked, thinking back to his original assessment of her when he saw her at school and deciding to revise it a little; still quite pretty, still no goddess, but a very interesting person he wanted to get to know better.

* * *

"Luffy, is that you? Come in the kitchen, hun, where have you- LORD, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?"

Luffy gave Makino his most sheepish grin. "Will it make you happier to know that I won?"

She rushed over with a damp towel and an icepack. "NO, what is wrong with-" She suddenly stopped and gripped him by the shoulders, fixing his eyes with a piercing stare. "Wait, you didn't start it, did you?"

"No, no!" he reassured her quickly. "It wasn't me, I was attacked by-"

"Gangs." Ace finished the sentence for him in an ominous tone. Luffy turned his head away from Makino's towel to look at Ace leaning against the door frame of the kitchen entrance. "Don't tell Gramps, okay?" Luffy pleaded as Makino impatiently turned his head back around to face her.

"I told you, Luffy," Ace continued, ignoring his brother's request. "I told you, don't get mixed up with those losers. Now look."

"Here," Makino said quietly, handing Luffy the icepack. "Hold that on your eye; it's swelling." She turned to get rid of the towel and left the room. Luffy pressed the icepack onto his eye and turned to face Ace. "Just don't tell Gramps," he repeated. "I don't want him to see me like this. His training from hell would increase by a hundred times!"

Ace shook his head grimly, but then he looked at Luffy again and smirked. "Looks like you NEED more training." He walked over and before Luffy could stop him, he put him in a headlock. "H-hey, cut it out!" Luffy exclaimed, struggling to escape. "Not a chance, weakling!" Ace laughed, knocking off his straw hat and giving him a vicious noogie. "Nooo, owowowow!" Luffy cried, trying harder to get out. Ace eventually stopped and the two looked at each other and laughed some more.

After a minute or so, Luffy put on a pout. "Come on, I'm injured! You coulda made it worse."

Ace laughed again and punched him in the shoulder. "Oh please, you puss."

"Hey, let me take a look at ya."

Luffy and Ace both turned to look at the red-haired newcomer. Shanks looked Luffy up and down with a half smile on his face. "Well, I hope you finished it?"

Luffy made a fist and nodded. "I sure did!"

Shanks's smile widened. "You had help, huh?"

The grin slowly faded from Luffy's face. "H-huh? How did you-?"

Shanks laughed. "Oh, come on! How else could someone inflict that kind of damage on you? You were outnumbered and they got you in a hold of some sort. They got a few clean punches in before someone came and saved your ass, isn't that right? What a story for Grandpa!" With that, he waltzed out of the kitchen, still laughing. Luffy stared in disbelief for a few seconds before giving chase. "O-oi! Don't tell him, PLEASE don't! Shaaaanks!"

Ace shook his head, unable to stop grinning. He bent down and picked up the gallon jug of milk Luffy brought home lying forgotten on the floor and placed it in the fridge. _'He may be a headache sometimes_,_'_ he thought, _'but there's never a dull moment with him around....' _He picked up Luffy's candy bar as well and walked out of the kitchen. "Hey Luffy!" he called as he walked upstairs to their bedroom. "Come eat this chocolate bar before I do!"

* * *

The first blessed weekend of the school year came faster than most students gave it credit for. There was still plenty of summer weather to go around in early September, and the clear skies provided it in abundance. There were very few kids found inside their homes on such a glorious weekend. Even fewer had anything school-related on their minds. Luffy, however, soon found himself desperately wishing he was still in school despite the large amount of time he was spending outside in the beautiful weather... in his grandfather's backyard.

The homemade iced tea currently being sipped in said backyard was top notch. Nothing was better than enjoying unsweetened lemon tea while riding around in an open horse carriage pulled only by your grandson sprinting while weighed down by 80lb weights on each arm and 100lb weights on each leg, Garp mused. Luffy, meanwhile, finally decided to attempt a protest at around the 98th lap, only to realize that his throat was way too dry to make any form of audible noise.

"One hundred!" Garp rumbled with feigned pride. "Not bad, m'boy! Halfway there! Let's try to do the second half even faster, hmmm? That is, of course, you'd rather revisit that little accident you had a couple days ago? This time, you won't have any girls to save you." Luffy couldn't remember the last time he had been so close to tears.

Garp's attention was diverted as he heard his backdoor open. He turned his head toward the newcomer and lifted his glass in greeting. "Oh, hey there, Ace! I wasn't expecting you! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Ace just stood there and stared for a long moment before answering. "Gramps... where did you get that carriage?"

"Irrelevant, m'boy, irrelevant!" the old man replied heartily. He patted the seat beside him. "Care to join me?"

The carriage passed Ace by, marking the beginning of the 102nd lap. Ace kept his gaze on Luffy's face as he ran past. "Ummm, no thanks. I think you should water your steed, though; he might die."

Garp blinked at Ace and then looked back at Luffy. "Well, I guess you have a point...." he conceded, scratching his head. "All right, get out the hose, then. Let him drink when he passes you again."

Ace shook his head and walked over to the green garden hose snaking from its connection to the house's outside faucet. He picked up the front of the hose and made sure the gun-like attachment on the end was tight before turning on the water. He sprayed the grass in front of him for a few seconds to get the hot water out. He positioned himself by the back door as Luffy was coming around the corner for his next lap. Ace saw the look of hopeless torture on his face as he approached his watery fate. Ace met his gaze sadly and raised the hose. He didn't like adding to this torture, but maybe a little overkill would really drill his point home for his little brother. Maybe he would avoid starting anything with gangs ever again.

Ace set the attachment on the end of the hose to "Jet" mode. Luffy's eyes widened into horror the second before he started to pass Ace and the trigger was squeezed....

* * *

He knew the question was coming. It was obvious from the moment he was invited to come join the conversation. It was a touchy subject for him at the time, and he really didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't going to be rude, though, when asked. He realized that the only reason they asked him to join them in the first place was because he was looking all mopey while brooding over it. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get it off his chest. He sat down, sighed, and met the gaze of the smiling girl addressing him.

"Luffy-kun, how was your weekend?"

Luffy looked at Vivi blankly for a moment before answering. "Well... I guess you could say it involved a horse carriage, a garden hose, a wooden fence, and a complete lack of good food."

Vivi's smile faltered as she and the other girls in study hall stared at him, trying to comprehend what he just said. "Oh, I... I see.... So... a bad weekend then? We were just wondering why you looked so glum over there."

Luffy nodded. "Yeahhh, that pretty much sums it up."

There was a bit of an awkward silence as everyone waited to see if he would elaborate before Vivi gently cleared her throat and looked at one of the other girls. "So, uh, what were you saying about the beach again, Caimie-chan?"

Although Luffy was definitely awkward at times, a new trend started from there. He started sitting with the girls in study hall more and more often until it became a daily thing. Kaya and Vivi were nice, Caimie was funny, and Conis was quiet but very intelligent. Shira would sometimes join them as well when she wasn't using her study hall time for the computer lab. The brunette was cute, but not quite in the same league as Kaya or Vivi. She liked spending time on the Internet and, although she didn't like to admit it, her hobby at home was video games. It seemed that she enjoyed having a boy in the group as it gave her reason to discuss games more openly. After a few conversations, though, it was clear to Luffy that her love for games far surpassed his own. One could definitely see the glint in her eyes when she talked about games, especially when first-person shooters was the specific topic at hand. All in all, he found spending time with the girls enjoyable and, at the very least, it made the long, torturous wait for lunch just a little easier.

Shira would be another gamer addition to Luffy's slowly growing pool of friends. After protecting Usopp and Coby from Krieg's gang, he couldn't help but start sitting with them every morning and get to know them a little better. The first few days involved Luffy just sitting down to watch their card game with little talk. It was very hard to follow without understanding the rules. The only thing he knew for sure was that Usopp really did win every single time no matter which deck of his he used. He couldn't help but wonder why Coby even bothered, so he decided to voice this thought one morning.

"Coby... why do you even play? I mean, I don't understand this game, but..." Luffy trailed off with a shrug.

Coby smiled wryly, his eyes still on the cards. "Usopp is the best in the school, so of course I lose. It's good practice, though.... I'm actually one of the best in the Gamers Club, if I may say so."

"Gamers Club?"

"One of the after-school clubs. It's fun, even if a lot of the kids there are kind of weird." He smiled sheepishly at Luffy. "I guess Usopp and I are, too, though, huh? Heh heh."

"Ufufufu," Usopp interrupted with an evil chuckle. "I suggest you pay more attention to the game, Coby.... I attack with all my creatures. Go ahead and defend; I don't have any instants or anything in my hand, so you'll be safe!"

Coby covered his face with his palm. "Usopp... you really don't have to try lying every time, you know. It's always obvious."

"Lying? Who's lying? I wouldn't do that!" Luffy looked at Usopp's gleeful face. He was definitely lying.

Coby sighed and shook his head. "Fine, whatever. It's not like I have a choice." He declared which of his creatures would defend against each of Usopp's attackers. As Usopp whooped in response and threw down the two game-ending cards, Luffy glanced over at the corner Krieg's cronies frequented. They were talking quietly amongst themselves, ignoring the straw hat kid and his two new friends. Krieg himself was absent from the lunch room as he had been every morning since that Friday following the attack on Luffy. Luffy couldn't help but wonder why he didn't come anymore. Was it fear? Was he trying to avoid trouble? Did the staff ban him from coming here in the mornings? Whatever the reason, it was a welcome change for everyone who liked to hang in the lunchroom before classes, and it brought some newcomers as well. His underlings seemed to be much more reserved when he wasn't around. Luffy didn't have to wonder why THAT was; clearly, it was fear. They wouldn't do anything on school grounds without their leader.

The lunchroom was also the site of another growing friendship of sorts. Luffy sat with Franky and some of his gang members everyday. It was amazing to him how very different two gangs and their reputations could be. As opposed to being feared or avoided like Krieg, Franky's gang seemed downright popular in Roguetown High. Everyday, Franky would get many fives, bumps, and shakes from other students passing by their table. Some would give Luffy a nod, too. He was already starting to build a reputation. He was always with pretty girls in study hall, with Franky at lunch, equal with Roronoa Zoro in gym, and there was that crazy rumor about single-handedly defeating around ten "Kriegers", as students started to call them. Luffy wasn't sure how anyone found out about it, but it was clear that Nami was keeping her involvement a complete secret. He wanted to give her credit, too, but it seemed that she didn't want it. It was pretty much a sure thing that none of the attackers were going to mention a girl beating them up, either.

It wasn't long until Franky invited Luffy to join his gang.

"It'd be super!" Franky declared, drawing nods from around the lunch table.

"I don't know anything about cars or fixing them," Luffy protested, but he couldn't help but grin.

"Who cares? Neither does that guy." Franky pointed at Zambai, the informal second-in-command of the gang. Raucous laughter from Franky and the gang nearly drowned out Zambai's indignant "HEY!" Franky shook his head as the laughter died down. "No, but seriously, a lot of our work is in dismantling for parts, too, you know. With a little practice and teaching, you can help out!"

Luffy's grin widened as he shook his head. "Nah, I'm honored, but I can't. I know you guys are cool, but I have no interest in gangs.... Besides, I kinda don't have free time for messing with cars."

There were some groans and protests, but no one pushed the issue. "Well, if you don't mind me askin', what do you do outside school?" Franky inquired.

"Training," Luffy said simply. He returned to his food without further explanation. Franky looked at some of the others and they all shrugged. If he didn't want to explain, whatever. It wasn't that Luffy was keen on keeping it secret; he just didn't feel like elaborating while there was food in front of him. Plus, he tried avoiding thinking of his gramps whenever he could. He wasn't exactly thrilled about being forced to slowly fix the wooden fence that he crashed into when Ace blinded him with the hose.

Time spent after lunch was more or less torture for Luffy. On more than one occasion, he was caught trying to sneakily eat snacks in class. The first time he tried, he found out the hard way that eating was not allowed during class.

"I always like to do poetry nice an' early in the term. It's easy and relaxing." The balding Mr. Ross grinned a gold-speckled grin at the pained looks on several students' faces. "At least for people with some sort of creative brain, eh?" He allowed a wheezy chuckle conveying many years of chain smoking to escape his lips before turning to the blackboard. "So I guess youse need a basic knowledge of this thing before youse start. Let's go over some poetry terminology...."

As he started to write the word "stanza", a loud crunching sound broke the general silence of the room. Almost every head turned towards the source of the noise. Ross stopped in mid-writing and turned. His eyes narrowed as they fell upon the culprit. It was at this point that Luffy realized something was wrong. He stopped chewing while his eyes, wide orbs of innocent confusion, first fell upon the bag of chips he had started to enjoy and then went up to Ross's face.

"Wanna tell us what a stanza is, boy?" Ross asked, sounding almost amused.

Luffy looked around and answered through a full mouth, "Um... I'm chewing?"

Some kids couldn't help but giggle at the answer. Ross walked up, took the bag from his student's desk, and promptly threw it in the garbage. He turned back to the blackboard to continue his lesson, ignoring the flabbergasted look on Luffy's face that was drawing even more quiet laughter from some of the students.

Thankfully, eating was a lot easier to get away with in cooking. Luffy tried to take advantage of this as much as possible to make sure he'd have enough energy for gym two periods later. He always wanted to be at his peak to best Zoro. However, when Luffy turned to his cooking group's ingredients for nourishment, it caused some stress and anger. Sanji in particular would become wrathful.

"Ohhh, this is hard! I hate this." The job cycle had Porche cutting vegetables for their beef stew. It was a rare moment when she wasn't complaining in her high-pitched, whiny voice about what she had to do, but Sanji didn't care. He sidled up next to her, hearts in his eyes.

"Let me take the knife, my sweet!" he pined. "I wouldn't want you to harm your beautiful hands!"

Helmeppo stopped washing dishes for a moment to feign gagging. Sanji gave him a death glare, but he didn't go beyond that.

The other three couldn't help but stare as they watched Sanji finish chopping the vegetable with extreme precision and speed. "You're sooo cool, Sanji-kun," Porche said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Captain of the soccer team AND the best cook in the world! Wow, you're second best only to Foxy-sama...." She sighed dreamily.

Luffy shook his head. "How do you go that fast? Were you born to do this or something?"

Sanji raised an eyebrow at the odd question. "I don't know, but I HAVE been doing this my whole life.... I was mostly raised in a restaurant."

"So taking this class is like cheating for you," Helmeppo muttered.

"Ohhh, a restaurant nearby?" Luffy asked excitedly. "What's it called?"

"The Baratie; come try us some time," Sanji replied with a grin. "We're at Pier 14. It's a huge ship sitting on the water."

Luffy's jaw dropped. "That's awesome! Yeah, I'll go as soon as I can!" And without warning, he reached for one of the untouched carrots. Sanji, not missing a beat, stuck a knife between two of Luffy's fingers as quick as lightning. The cook's grin instantly turned into a look of death, one that made the hungry Luffy go pale and quickly turn back to the broth he had been carefully stirring.

The gym class to follow was another memorable one. The sky was overcast as Hina led her class outside to the quarter-mile track on the extensive school grounds. She ignored some of the complaints as she declared that they were going to do a test mile run.

"Already?" students complained. "It's so early in the year!"

Hina's gaze was all it took to silence the rebels.

Of course, the test run became a footrace of epic proportions between the two gym class monsters. They sprinted full speed, not bothering to pace themselves as they ran neck-to-neck the entire mile. They occasionally threw quick glances at each other to make sure neither one was falling behind. Some time after the second lap, Zoro gave Luffy an evil grin. Before the smaller runner could guess what the grin was for, he had to deftly avoid his opponent's leg as it attempted to trip him up. At first, his face took on a look of surprise before he turned his head and returned the grin. The race became a high-speed brawl on wheels as each tried their hardest to punch, kick, trip, or shove the other as they ran.

"HEY, STOP IT, YOU TWO!" Hina thundered, but her command fell on deaf ears. As the end of their fourth and final lap approached, Zoro sidestepped Luffy's final attempt at a trip-up and pushed himself with everything he had left....

Hina stared at the stopwatch for a second before announcing the results. "Luffy, 3:54.33.... Zoro, 3:54.12."

Zoro, breathing heavily, glanced at his rival with a smirk. "Heh... nice try."

Luffy grinned. "That's my line. Thought you could catch me by surprise with that first trip, huh?"

Hina came up behind them and grabbed each by the ear. "Owowowow!" Luffy cried.

"I should write you two up for fighting," the teacher hissed. "But I'm not going to." She let go. "Your antics messed up your times, too, you know... even though you still broke the four minute barrier." She turned back to the students now approaching the finish line to record their times as well. Luffy gave Zoro a sheepish grin. The green-haired athlete just shrugged indifferently and walked over to the first row of bleachers to sit and wait for the rest of the class. Luffy sauntered over to join him.

"So..." the black-haired boy said hesitantly after a few moments of silence, "I've heard you're the captain of two different sports teams. Football, and what's the other one?"

"Fencing," was the short grunt of reply.

Luffy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? Those are such different sports!"

Zoro nodded slightly. "Yeah, well, I've spent my whole life in a kenjutsu dojo. It's hard for me to be away from swords."

Luffy stared at him in awe. "So you're good?"

Zoro nodded again. "I'm trying to become the best in the world... in as many sword-fighting styles as I can. That would include fencing."

Luffy gave a low whistle as he turned to watch the last of the class finish their run. "That's very cool. So you've been training your whole life like me, huh...."

Zoro gave him a questioning look. "Martial arts?"

Luffy nodded vaguely, his eyes still on their classmates. "Kinda. It was kinda forced on me, though. Not the same for you?"

The sword master shook his head slowly. "No... well, not really. Long story."

They both sat in silence until it was time to go back inside and do some post-run stretching. When everyone went into the locker rooms to change before the final bell, Luffy was once again harassed by the many sports players in the advanced gym class to join their teams or clubs.

"Dude, you sprint like a beast! You gotta play baseball-"

"Baseball? We need that speed in track and field!"

"Where does all that stamina come from? Join cross country...!"

"You're probably one hell of a fighter, the boxing club needs you, man!"

As usual, Luffy avoided or politely refused all the offers and pushed his way out the gym door as the bell rang. A minute or so later, Kohza caught up to him.

"Hey, you and Zoro friends now?" asked Kohza jokingly. "Everyone thought you two wanted to kill each other."

Luffy laughed. "Nah, we don't. I wouldn't say we're friends, but he seems like a good guy."

As the pair approached their lockers, they once again saw Zoro and Nami a little ways down the hall. This time, Nami noticed Luffy and poked her boyfriend in the shoulder before walking over.

"Hey, Luffy," she greeted casually. "Listen, I'm transferring to a different English class and I heard you were in it. Do you have the notes so I can see what you guys have done so far?"

Luffy just blinked at her for a moment before producing a notebook from his bag. "Yeah, sure, just give it back tomorrow."

Nami took it. "Of course. Well, you mean Monday, right? Tomorrow's the weekend." She started walking away. "See ya Monday." She rejoined Zoro and the two walked out of the school hand in hand.

Luffy and Kohza looked at each other and shrugged. "Well..." Kohza said, closing his locker and picking up his bag, "I gotta go find Vivi, so-"

Luffy suddenly received a poke in the ribs. He quickly turned to see Shira's lightly freckled face smiling at him. "Hey, stranger," she greeted. She looked over at his sandy-haired companion. "Hey Kohza, we're waiting for you, come on."

"Yeah sorry, I was just about to go find Vivi.... See ya, Luffy."

He waved as the two started to walk away. Suddenly, Shira stopped. Kohza looked at her questioningly. "What's up?"

She turned and looked at Luffy for a moment, hands on hips. "Hey... you wanna come with us? It'd be fun if you were there!"

Kohza looked a bit surprised. "Oh, uh, you think so? Is... is that alright with Vivi?"

"I'm sure it is! Luffy's getting to be good friends with us in study hall, you know. Besides, the more the merrier, yeah? We gotta enjoy the pool one last time before this nice weather ends! Today's Friday and it's supposed to be crappy this weekend."

Kohza scratched his head. "Well yeah, I guess.... Let's go find Vivi."

This was a bit of a pleasant surprise for Luffy. No one had ever invited him to anything in Fuschia, except maybe the occasional birthday party when he was a kid. He got out his phone. "Thanks guys! Let me call my parents."

He talked to Makino as they walked outside together.

"Friends from school?

"Yeah, they just invited me."

"That's great, Luffy! I hope they're not shady...."

"No! Don't worry about it."

"...Boys or girls?"

"Um, both...."

"What do you guys have planned?"

"I dunno.... I think there's a pool."

"Do you even have your swimming trunks?"

"Oh, haha, no I don't."

"Well, you should probably come get them first...."

When Luffy, Kohza, and Shira found Vivi, she seemed more than happy to have the straw hat boy join them. Conis, Caimie, and a boy Luffy didn't recognize soon joined them, and they were off. Upon Luffy's request, the car stopped at his place so he could pick up his trunks. As he ran inside and up the stairs to his room, he heard Makino call, "So, do I get to meet these friends of yours?"

"Not now, they're waitin' for me! See ya later!"

Makino watched him run back out, dark blue trunks clenched tightly, with a smile on her face. After a few moments, she went back to the living room to continue watching her show. She stopped for a moment and frowned. "I hope that boy has been doing his homework...."

* * *

Vivi's home was nothing short of gigantic. It was one of the largest mansions in the world-famous port town. Luffy was shocked to find out that her father was none other than the Governor of East Blue. Luffy looked at Nefertari Vivi appreciatively as they walked up to the front door. "Nice place!" he said simply.

She smiled. "Thanks!"

As they walked through the main foyer, Shira glanced at Luffy's ridiculous gawking face. The brunette giggled. "Yeah, that was pretty much my first reaction, too." She looked over at Caimie's jaw-dropped, eye-popping face and sweatdropped. "Caimie... you've been here a hundred times...."

"I know, but it's so BEAUTIFUL!"

Vivi waved her hand vaguely at the vast amount of expensive art and other forms of fancy decoration. "This is all just passed down from previous generations. It's not like Daddy has the creative mind or attention span for home decor." She glanced at Kohza and the two laughed. Luffy scratched his head. He guessed it was some sort of inside joke.

The group soon found themselves poolside. It was Olympic size with a high dive on the far end, a low dive beside it, and a different water slide on each side. Soon enough, drinks and snacks were served, the radio was on, and all but Conis and her male companion were in the pool.

"Watch this," Vivi said to Luffy, grinning. The two were in the center of the pool. She went under and pressed some sort of button on the wall. A whirring sound was suddenly heard.

"Here, look out," Vivi warned, grabbing Luffy's arm and dragging him away a bit. She laughed at his stunned face as a volleyball net emerged from the water.

"GAME START!" Caimie yelled from atop a nearby water slide, ball held high overhead. She threw the ball high in the air and all in one smooth motion, she slid in on her belly, swam over to the net underwater, and launched herself above the water surface to spike the ball cleanly over the net, her yellow one-piece suit gleaming in the sun. Luffy was hugely impressed.

"And that's why she's known as the Mermaid of the swimming team." Shira smiled and got out of the pool to retrieve the ball that bounced out of the pool. "Okay, teams!"

The "gym class monster" was fully outclassed in the water. It was Luffy, Kaya, Vivi, and Kohza versus Caimie and Shira. Caimie effortlessly dominated the game. It didn't frustrate the black-haired boy, though; he was having a blast. Several one-sided sets later, no one even knew the score. Vivi picked up the ball and prepared to serve.

"Three serving..." She looked over at Conis and the boy. "Um, ref?"

"Ref?" Conis laughed. "Uh, I don't know... three to... twenty-something?"

"We need your help!" Luffy told her and the boy.

Conis sighed. "Sorry, I still have to rest my ankle. I hurt it in cross country not too long ago."

The boy put his arm around her. "And someone's gotta keep her company." She smiled at him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Luffy scratched his head. "How come no one's told me your name yet?"

The boy chuckled. "Oh, it's Max. Nice to meet you."

"Better keep your eyes on the ball, kid!" Shira shouted, spiking the ball directly at her intended target. Luffy turned just in time to have the ball bounce magnificently dead-center off his face. As everyone laughed, the victim included, the ball rolled over to the door leading back into the mansion. It was picked up by a newcomer.

"I guess I could help.... Not that there's a point against the Mermaid."

Everyone turned toward the voice. Vivi looked surprised. "Oh, Nami! Thought you and Zoro were going somewhere."

Nami smirked. "He was getting boring. You know how he is sometimes. Besides, how often do we get such a beautiful Friday without cheer practice or a game?" The cheerleading captain then tossed the ball back in and threw off her shirt and shorts, revealing an orange bikini with white polka dots... and the beautiful body it so hardly covered. Luffy automatically averted his gaze to keep from staring.

"Show-off," Shira grumbled jokingly.

Nami dove in on the opposite side of Caimie. She surfaced and grinned at Luffy. "Hey there, stranger," she greeted.

Luffy waved. "Yo!"

"LET'S GET ON WITH IT!" Caimie shouted, eyes burning with frenzy.

And so, the one-sided game resumed.

* * *

"Haa! This is what you get for that ball to the face!"

"Wha-?! Bah! Lucky shot."

"Not lucky!" Luffy gloated. "Wahaha!"

Shira punched his shoulder playfully. "Hey, bud, don't get cocky. You're still far from the top there."

Luffy pouted. "Not my fault you and Max play this game 24/7."

Luffy, Max, Kohza, and Shira were playing a popular and addicting first-person shooter on Vivi's massive flat screen in the entertainment room. Nami was watching, and Kaya and Vivi were nearby locked in a heated game of air hockey.

Nami grabbed the controller from Luffy. "Nice shootin, Tex, but she's got a point. Plus, I haven't got a turn yet."

"Meh, make it a three-person game." Shira put down her controller. "I'm sick of winning, anyway." She stuck her tongue out at Max. The dark blue-haired boy returned with his own tongue. She poked Luffy. "You're all hot down here, too, right? Hey Vivi, me and Luffy are going back to the pool."

Vivi gave a quick thumbs-up, not taking her eyes off her intense match with Kaya.

Luffy was indeed a little hot. He always got worked up playing video games, just like Shira, apparently. The sun had almost finished setting outside. Luffy welcomed the rush of cool air the twilit evening had to offer as the pair stepped outside. Shira smiled at him and stripped down to her red-and-black-striped bikini once again. "Race ya," she challenged, giving herself a head-start. Luffy, not intending to lose at something again, threw off his shirt and took off at a sprint. He easily passed her, awarding him an indignant "Hey!", but unfortunately for him, the surface by the pool's edge was still wet.... He fell hard on his face and slid awkwardly into the water. He surfaced with a hand held to his nose. "Ouch."

"Oh my god!" She stopped in front of Luffy, bending down to look at his face. "Are you okay?"

Luffy waved nonchalantly with his unoccupied hand. "This is nothing," he assured her. "Anyway... revenge!" He leapt up and grabbed her waist, eliciting a shriek as she was dragged into the water.

She quickly resurfaced, arms wrapped around herself. "Brrrr, it's cold!" she exclaimed. She narrowed her eyes and gave his leg a slow-motion underwater kick. "Don't do that again. Besides, you got your revenge already from that lucky shot."

"Wasn't lucky," he told her, grinning. "Kishishishi."

She looked at his nose, his hand still covering it. "How is that? It's not bleeding a lot, is it?" She unfolded her arms from herself as she moved closer to get a better look. Luffy suddenly found himself needing to keep his eyes carefully trained on her face as he felt a bit of heat rise up to his cheeks. Shira's words weren't the only thing portraying just how cold she was.... She quickly realized the same thing and wrapped her arms around herself once more. "J-jeez, I'm shivering...." she told him, trying to sound casual, but the poor girl's embarrassment was pretty obvious.

A bit of an awkward silence ensued as the two ended up watching the sun finish setting. As the two lazily floated about the pool, the minutes floated by along with them, the sky getting darker and darker without the light of its precious sun. After a while, Luffy sighed. Shira looked over at him.

"You know, it's strange," he said. "The stars here... never come out." He leaned back and allowed himself to float on his back. He pointed up at the sky. "Look, there isn't a single cloud in the sky, but all I can see are a couple of really bright stars."

Shira gazed up as well. "Light pollution.... It's a bitch sometimes, I guess." She looked back at him, smiling. "Must have been a really pretty sky over in Hicksville, huh?"

"Yeah..." he sighed. "...Hey, wait."

She laughed, swimming away from him. "Sorry, I like to tease. Actually, I'd like to go out to a place like that sometime. Fuschia sounds like a very nice place."

Luffy gave chase. "It was kinda boring there, but I kinda miss it, too." He dove under and with surprisingspeed, he caught up to her and grabbed her leg. He pulled her under, but she pushed him further down, placed her feet on his shoulders, and pushed off them to resurface. He joined her a moment later.

"Wow, that was a lot faster than you were before." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You weren't going easy on us just cuz we're girls, were you?"

He laughed. "Nah, Caimie is the queen of the water. I could never touch that level of skill!"

As they tread water side by side, they ended up gazing up at the sky again. After a moment, she found herself leaning on him without even thinking about it.

"I'm glad I invited you...." she said softly. "We needed some new blood here."

Luffy grinned. "Glad I came."

Suddenly, they heard a whistle.

"Ooooo!" Nami catcalled. "Didn't mean to interrupt the lovebirds!"

Shira quickly pushed away from Luffy, laughing. "Oh, be quiet, Nami! You're just mad cuz Zoro-woro isn't here with you."

Vivi and Kohza followed Nami out. The blue-haired girl giggled. "All right, guys, time to pack it up. Sorry, Daddy's rules. It's getting late."

Shira gave Luffy a sideways glance and a small smile. The two got out, grabbed towels, and headed back toward the mansion.

* * *

Luffy was the last one to be dropped off. He stared out the open window as Vivi drove him home. The cool air blew heartily into his face, ruffling his damp hair. It truly felt great. It was a shame this nice weather was coming to an end... but he always loved the snow of the cold season, too. He glanced at Vivi. He had a feeling this winter would be a lot more fun than previous years. Of course, they still had to get through fall first....

"So, what are you up to this weekend?" Vivi asked, breaking the silence.

"I dunno, nothing too crazy." He shrugged. "Hopefully, my gramps will keep me in one piece."

She grimaced. "Oh yeah, good luck with that...."

He suddenly brightened up. "Oh, yeah! I might be checking out this new restaurant with my family! Well, it's not new, but it's new for me!"

"Oh, which one?"

"The Baratie!"

"Ohhhh, that place is fantastic! I hope you like it there!"

"Hehehe! Any place with food is fantastic, if you ask me."

It didn't take much longer for them to reach their destination. Luffy waved after he got out of the car. "Thanks again, Vivi. I really had fun."

"Come again soon," she replied with a smile, and then she was off.

Makino greeted her son as he walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge to get a bottle of water. "So... how was it?" she asked.

Luffy turned and gave her his trademark toothy grin. "It was great, really. I hope they invite me again. Good night!"

Makino smiled back. "Good night, hun."

And with that, the exhausted boy went up the stairs to gratefully collapse on his bed. His mind was too preoccupied to allow him much sleep that night, but he still woke up the following morning feeling refreshed and chipper.

His new life in Roguetown had only just begun....

**Fun stuff, huh? I didn't get much reviewin' love last chapter, so I'm not sure if this story is getting any better or worse. Please let me know! Thank you, my dear readers!**


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